linen

linen
—lineny, adj.
/lin"euhn/, n.
1. fabric woven from flax yarns.
2. Often, linens. bedding, tablecloths, shirts, etc., made of linen cloth or a more common substitute, as cotton.
3. yarn made of flax fiber.
4. thread made of flax yarns.
5. wash one's dirty linen in public, to discuss in public one's private scandals, disagreements, or difficulties.
adj.
6. made of linen: a linen jacket.
[bef. 900; ME lin(n)en (n., adj.), OE linnen, linen (adj.) made of flax, equiv. to lin flax ( < L linum; see LINE2) + -en -EN2]

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Fibre, yarn, and fabric made from the flax plant.

Flax is one of the oldest textile fibres used by humans; evidence of its use has been found in Switzerland's prehistoric lake dwellings. Fine linen fabrics have been discovered in ancient Egyptian tombs. The fibre is obtained by subjecting plant stalks to a series of operations, including retting (a fermentation process), drying, crushing, and beating. Linen is stronger than cotton, dries more quickly, and is more slowly affected by exposure to sunlight. Low elasticity, imparting a hard, smooth texture, makes linen subject to wrinkling. Because linen absorbs and releases moisture quickly and is a good conductor of heat, linen garments feel cool to wearers. Fine grades of linen are made into woven fabrics and laces for apparel and household furnishings.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Linen — is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant, Linum usitatissimum . Linen is labor intensive to manufacture, but when it is made into garments, it is valued for its exceptional coolness and freshness in hot weather. It is superior to… …   Wikipedia

  • Linen — Lin en, n. [Prop. an adj. from OE. lin flax, AS. l[=i]n flax, whence l[=i]nen made of flax; akin to OS., Icel., & MHG. l[=i]n flax and linen, G. lein, leinen, linen, Sw. lin flax, Goth. lein linen, L. linum flax, linen, Gr. li non. Cf. {Line},… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Linen — Lin en (l[i^]n [e^]n), a. [OE., fr. lin linen. See {Linen}, n.] 1. Made of linen; as, linen cloth; a linen stocking. [1913 Webster] 2. Resembling linen cloth; white; pale. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • linen — [lin′ən] n. [ME < OE (akin to Ger leinen) < lin, flax: see LINE2] 1. yarn, thread, or cloth made of flax 2. [often pl.] things made of linen, or of cotton, etc., as tablecloths, sheets, shirts, etc.: cf. BED LINEN, TABLE LINEN 3. fine… …   English World dictionary

  • linen — (n.) cloth from woven flax, early 14c.; earlier as an adjective, made of flax (c.1200), from O.E. linin (adj.) made of flax, from lin flax, linen thread, cloth, from W.Gmc. *linam (Cf. O.S., O.N., O.H.G. lin flax, linen, Ger. Leinen linen, Goth.… …   Etymology dictionary

  • linen — ► NOUN 1) cloth woven from flax. 2) articles such as sheets or clothes made, or originally made, of linen. ORIGIN originally in the sense «made of flax»: from Old English …   English terms dictionary

  • Linen —    1) Heb., pishet, pishtah, denotes flax, of which linen is made (Isa. 19:9); wrought flax, i.e., linen cloth , Lev. 13:47, 48, 52, 59; Deut. 22:11.    Flax was early cultivated in Egypt (Ex. 9:31), and also in Palestine (Josh. 2:6; Hos. 2:9).… …   Easton's Bible Dictionary

  • linen — (Roget s IV) n. Syn. cloth, material, flaxen fabric, sheeting, linen cloth. Types of linen include: damask, single damask, five leaf damask, eight leaf damask, linen duck, linen huckaback, linen crash, dowlas, osnaburg, low sheeting, low brown… …   English dictionary for students

  • linen — n. 1) to change the (bed) linen 2) fresh linen 3) bed; fine; table linen * * * [ lɪnɪn] fine table linen bed fresh linen to change the (bed) linen …   Combinatory dictionary

  • linen — /ˈlɪnən / (say linuhn) noun 1. fabric woven from flax yarns. 2. household articles, as sheets, tablecloths, etc., made of linen or some substitute, as cotton. 3. Obsolete shirts and underwear, made of linen or a substitute. 4. yarn made of flax… …  

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